'World class' in session

By now you probably have heard about "Walgreens University," the internal education center the company opened last month, complete with technology-enhanced classrooms, a mock drug store and video-conferencing capabilities for employee educational programs.

Competing in the new age of retail, where bricks, clicks and anything in between compete for a larger share of the omnichannel customer, will require new skill sets and a generally better-educated workforce. The winners will create a more personalized shopping experience that leverages the expertise in their stores.

This will continue to create new positions at store level — health guides, more beauty advisers, more advanced roles for pharmacists and pharmacy technicians. As Walgreens tests the outer boundaries of what "fresh" looks like in a drug store, it is creating a variety of new positions from baristas to smoothie bar mixologists.

U.S. companies overall increased spending on training and development 12% last year, according to research from Bersin by Deloitte, a human resources consulting firm.

After years of cutting training budgets, leading companies now are putting their investment against arguably the best resource they have — their people. Product exclusives and private brand aside, it's very difficult in the drug store to differentiate with product. Service and services make you different — and that's about people.

Poll

Poll

Which of the current U.S. Presidential hopefuls do you think would be best for your business?

Hillary Clinton

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Donald Trump

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Ben Carson

Scott Walker

Marco Rubio

Rand Paul

Chris Christie

Mike Huckabee

SPECIAL REPORTS

Pharmacy’s battle for recognition continues

Fifty years ago this summer, President Lyndon B. Johnson secured his place in history by signing into law the legislation that created Medicare and Medicaid. To commemorate the anniversary, Drug Store News has put together an exclusive report on the effect that Medicare and Medicaid have had on the retail pharmacy industry and how it has transformed the role of the pharmacist. more...

IN THIS ISSUE

In this issue, DSN profiles Rite Aid and how the company is achieving a vision to become a retail healthcare company that delivers a higher level of care to its communities; takes you on a tour of Sears; offers insight into millennial shoppers and more. Click here to view the issue.